Fahrenheit 451 Essay

Submitted By astridacobar
Words: 1068
Pages: 5
Open Document
Astrid Cobar
Samantha Krag
English 100
29 April 2014 Insert Title
Utopias are an ideal of what society should be like in order to be a “perfect” society. Many countries try different governments, laws, and restrictions to shape their society into a better and more perfect society, but unfortunately these ideas do not always have a positive result and end up making their society worse. For this reason many authors turn these better societies into literature to show society what these changes are in reality doing to society. Ray Bradbury does this in of his books. He creates a society that is supposed to be what the United States will like in the future. In his society, Guy Montag (the main character), with his wife Mildred live happily conformed in their home surrounded by television screens. Montag is a fireman whose duty is to burn books because these books are prohibited and if necessary, he may burn the book owners as well. Montag’s world soon changes when he meets a girl named Clarisse whose ideas of a society are way different from everyone else’s in his society and these ideas lead him to wondering why the world is happy and conformed without knowledge or socialization with other people. In this way in the book Fahrenheit 451: through book burning by firemen, a society influenced by technology, and education being last priority; Ray Bradbury criticizes censorship, technology, and education in the United States during the Cold War in the 1950’s.
Censorship has been used for many years by governments to keep peace. In Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury shows censorship through book burning. To keep people happier as Captain Beatty explains to Montag, “You must understand that our civilization is so vast that we can’t have our minorities upset and stirred. Ask yourself, what do we want in this country, above all? People want to be happy, isn’t that right?” Bradbury uses this to criticize what is happening in the United States and in Russia at that time. According the article Ray Bradbury and the Assault on Free Thought, “Writing less than a decade later, in the shadow of McCarthy and Stalin, Bradbury feared the suppression of independent thought in whatever form it might take” (Patai, 43). Which is why in the book, he shows what society will be like if society allows politicians such as Joseph McCarthy decide what books should be allowed in libraries and what books shouldn’t. Since in this time McCarthy began accusing politicians, writers, and families of being communist for “protection” he began censoring books that were believed to be communist to avoid people from getting ideas and to keep them from being appealed to the idea of communism. Bradbury is able to show what society would be like if people allow their freedom of speech to be taken away by showing the ignorance and unhappiness they will obtain through relying in other things that will entertain them such as technology,
In the book, the characters in the society live in a world influenced by televisions and technology. The main character Montag himself, along with his wife, own three parlor walls which are basically wall sized television screens that surround them allowing them to be more entertained. In Montag’s world, there is no such thing as socializing or getting to know people. Since everyone is so influenced by technology, their way to socialize is by talking to the screens on the televisions. Also to keep people happy, what is shown on television is controlled and the television is also used as a way of propaganda. Not only that, but each city has a hound that keeps control of society by notifying the firemen of anyone who owns books so that the firemen find them and burn them. In this way, Bradbury demonstrates what society will be like if it is dependent so much on technology. Since in the 1950’s more and more people began owning televisions and they were becoming more dependent on them rather than reading books. It was much easier for people to
Show More

Related Documents: Fahrenheit 451 Essay

Fahrenheit 451

committed by people with histories of being neglected/ abused. We can see this represented in stereotypes, books (such as Fahrenheit 451), and movies. People with traumatic backgrounds are more susceptible to poor influences, which leads to making poor decisions. This creates a path from an abused and/or neglected child to a poor decision-making teenager. The novel Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, shows multiple instances of children being unwanted in their society. For example, in the…

Words 374 - Pages 2

Fahrenheit 451

ignorance, false happiness, and danger from blindly approving information when presented is displayed in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, The Giver by Lois Lowry, A Wrinkle in Time by L’Engle, and in society. Many authors have different approaches to what a dystopian society would look like due to their views of society, one main story that is known for completing this task is Fahrenheit 451. Fahrenheit 451 is a story of a dystopian society, which people are slowly figuring out. This story begins by describing…

Words 898 - Pages 4

Fahrenheit 451

Bradbury built on the Nazi story to tell the story of Fahrenheit 451. Burning books is one way that authorities use to control people. Restricting peoples free expression either by burning books forbidding words or making rules that keep People from enjoying physical freedom are other ways two. For an example I am a Skater, and to me freedom means being free to enjoy the exhilarating feeling that Skateboarding gives me. Therefore Fahrenheit 451 is a very personal book to me. Montag met a…

Words 436 - Pages 2

Fahrenheit 451

Marriage reflects the union between two people in a personal relationship. However, many marriages end in trauma, heartbreak, and disaster. In many of these failed marriages, alienation is a leading cause of the separation between the two people. In Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury illustrates the theme of alienation through the lens of Montag’s failed marriage, emphasizing the disconnect between individuals in a society lacking meaningful connections, ultimately highlighting the detrimental effects of technological…

Words 215 - Pages 1

Technology Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury’s description of the dystopia in Fahrenheit 451 portrays the downfall of society through censorship of technology, importance of education, and misuse of power. In 1953 Ray Bradbury had a vision on the disappearance of books and on the way this disappearance would happen. Bradbury thought if books are banned in the future there would be lots of danger. In the novel Fahrenheit 451 books are not read anymore they are not allowed, the society is trying to stop publishing…

Words 837 - Pages 4

Allusions In Fahrenheit 451

society from making the mistakes of the past all over again. In Fahrenheit 451, the importance of this knowledge is enunciated through its theme. The powerful theme of the novel is supported by many allusions that include historical figures such as Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and Icarus. In the mix of these famous dignitaries, the reader finds the allusion of James Boswell. Ray Bradbury’s use of the James Boswell allusion in Fahrenheit 451 helps to develop his theme of how the preservation of knowledge…

Words 710 - Pages 3

Fahrenheit 451: An Analysis

Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian novel that has a controlling government. In this book, books are illegal and are being burned so everyone has an equal amount of knowledge. As we saw in the video, during WWII they has book burning sessions to burn all knowledge of anything that was not the “German standard", and not their way of thinking. Fahrenheit 451 relates to WWII in many way. When you think about WWII you remember the destruction and the corrupt government controlling the people…

Words 455 - Pages 2

Dystopian In Fahrenheit 451

The Movie Was Better!!! A dystopian characteristic in Fahrenheit 451 is that citizens live in fear of the outside world. This idea is supported when Granger was talking to Guy Montag about living in the country “No, the cities don't bother us….”(147). Granger is explaining that the book people are basically forgotten, so not many people are searching for them. Also, people in this society find nature weird and rely on technology, so they do not come looking for these people. Another instance that…

Words 481 - Pages 2

Ignorance In Fahrenheit 451

Although nearly every person has a different specific definition of knowledge, it is generally accepted that knowledge and ignorance contradict each other in nearly every way possible. The theme of ignorance vs. knowledge appears many times in Fahrenheit 451. Ignorance is depicted by a few of the characters, such as Mildred and Captain Beatty along with the entire dystopian society. Ignorance developed in their society due to increase in governmental power and its desire to have control over the people…

Words 1063 - Pages 5

Happiness In Fahrenheit 451

comes from squandering ourselves for a purpose” (“John Mason Brown Quote”). Legitimate happiness is a scarce phenomenon in the Fahrenheit 451 society, maybe even extinct. Numerous characters claim to be happy, but are they genuinely happy? In a society captivated by technology, people are not truly happy, and real societies partially share this malady. Most all Fahrenheit 451 characters are not happy. There are no emotions being expressed or shared by the characters. Most are too occupied to even…

Words 627 - Pages 3